Imagine seeds which would produce genetically identical plants of the world’s top varieties

A new technology is emerging on the distant horizon for the home-grown cannabis market, Dutch Passion call it ‘Clone seed’ technology. In simple terms a clone seed is a very small sample of genetic material from a carefully selected elite cannabis plant. This genetic material is placed inside a small quantity of gel and may also have a synthetic ‘shell’ around the outside.

Clone seeds, they look different to normal seeds but are attracting a lot of interestThe clone-seed grows like a normal seed into an adult female cannabis plant which is genetically identical to the original mother plant – just like a cutting. It would mean that a seed supplier would grow hundreds of seeds to select that very, very special individual specimen. It might be the most Blueberryish of Blueberry plants. Or that killer White Widow pheno which you have spent years trying to find. Or that Skunk #1 with the special flavours, rotting cheese aroma’s, insane yields and highly potent buds. Clone seeds are a little but like getting a clone of the original, but the genetic material is suspended in a gel. Unlike or cuttings which produce small numbers of plants, clone seeds can allow mass production of plants that are genetically identical to the original. Genetic material is extracted from the mother plant and the cells reproduced in the laboratory cultures. It allows an unlimited number of clone seeds to be made. It is a technology which was originally a dream by botanists looking for ways of mass producing copies of top-performing vegetable and fruit plants. Some people call this technology ‘artificial seeds’, we think this is a misleading name as there is nothing artificial about the result. The grower would know exactly what they are getting, all the hard work would have been done by the seed supplier to find the original elite mother plants. All you do is plant them in the confidence that you know exactly what you are getting.People know how to extract the somatic-embryo’s. They know which hydro-gels give good results with this special ‘somatic embryo’ plant tissue. They have even identified the right type of material for making the shell out of. The ‘somatic embryo’ can be thought of as the plant equivalent to human stem cells.

The clone seeds are roughly the same size as normal cannabis seeds, but they are often transparent with a green central core of genetic material which, when planted, will grow roots, leaves and bud which is genetically identical to the mother plant. Experiments have been done to dessicate or ‘dry’ the clone seeds. It is still early days, there is a lot to learn. No-one knows if or when they will arrive. They may need to be stored in a fridge to keep them dormant, but many people already do this routinely with cannabis seeds anyhow.This technology has already been applied to cannabis, and it works, but it is one thing to demonstrate the technology and another to commercialise it. As laws stand today there may be legal problems as this is technically ‘living’ marijuana plant tissue which might be deemed illegal in some countries. But in some US states cuttings can be bought openly under the medical marijuana laws, the same is true in Austria. So in some area’s clone seeds might be a legal alternative to cuttings. Other countries might need to wait for marijuana laws to liberalise.

What of the advantages and disadvantages?One of the disadvantages will be that this is new. That alone will start the alarm bells ringing for some of the traditionalists. But this technology is really no different to taking cuttings (clones). It would also completely eliminate the genetic variability which inherently comes from a pack of natural seeds. Some growers and private breeders thrive on the subtle differences which come from naturally grown seed stock. No-one is saying that clone seeds would entirely replace normal seeds, however I do believe that clone-seed would be highly attractive to a large number of private self-sufficient growers one day in the future..The advantages of clone-seed is that it would allow the home-grower to get absolutely the best possible genetics. One comment we regularly get is from home-growers is that a pack of seeds produces similar plants but with some variations in appearance, colour, taste, smell or potency. Seed suppliers do their best to improve consistency of plants grown from seed. And the best seed producers are very good at it. But one of the frustrations can be that despite making seeds from some of the finest marijuana plants the offspring have a natural genetic diversity. They may be very similar to a parent but not quite identical. With clone seeds that genetic variability becomes a thing of the past. In the future it may well be that the suppliers embark on massive project to find the best cannabis specimens ever grown and mass produce clone seeds from tissue extracted and grown from them.The world of cannabis just keeps evolving ! We will keep you informed as we found out more but don’t expect to see anything too soon. This is embryonic technology in more ways than one.

On 02 -04-2012 at 02:03 u $our wrote:So that means we can all have the best average plants that they'd like to part with?
Would DP release males of quality to the public,
so that med patients could THEN breed there own genetics from both male & female?
Seems there's alot to answer,(patents) before genetics in this form will ever see the light of day. Why would they release the best genetics, so others could enjoy & share with the MED community? Once they have a patent, then that will prevent other's from using it without a fee. I think it's just another money grab.
Peace~$our~

On 02 -04-2012 at 06:55 u Scarhole wrote:Glad to see someone pushing the technology.
Hope someone will add genes with agrobacterium to them in the future.

On 02 -04-2012 at 10:54 u Karma genetics wrote:They must have it already in lock down, otherwise they wouldn't post this up.
Looks like the future is bright.
I am willing to test a few for You.
Peace KG
Keep it real

On 02 -04-2012 at 20:51 u Hammerhead wrote:This is very interesting. I would like to try these as well.......

On 04 -04-2012 at 21:45 u Harter olivier wrote:I never think this is possible a true dream for grower like me.I look for found best genetic but it's difficult when you grow only few seeds.

On 05 -04-2012 at 18:49 u LuckyPunch wrote:wow great idea RESPECT
but i like it too when i buy a pack of seeds and get 3,4 or 5 different phenos !

On 10 -04-2012 at 04:34 u Timmy d wrote:sweeeeeet

On 13 -04-2012 at 22:10 u Smoke wrote:Wow this is really cool. I hope we get to use these real soon. Imagine.. This is one of the best things to happen to the cloning industry. I cant wait.

On 02 -09-2016 at 16:11 u Skyflare wrote: Nice , any new Info´s out there ?

On 12 -05-2017 at 16:32 u Skyflare wrote:Nice , any new Info´s out there ?

On 15 -05-2017 at 15:42 u Eddy wrote:Sky flare, no more news just yet. But as legality approaches for us all this technology will be getting more and more attention

On 30 -03-2019 at 06:50 u DoTheseThingsReallyExist wrote:I just recently heard about this. This cant be right. We need plant diversity for them to resist diseases.Sounds better than synthetic cannabinoid analogues but not by much. Just let the nature do its thing. Why humans have to ruin everything? Soon there's big corporation like Monsanto and you're disallowed to grow anything else.

Seed type

Dutch Passion advise their customers to reassure themselves of local applicable laws and regulations before germination. Dutch Passion cannot be held responsible for the actions of those who act against laws and regulations that apply in their locality. Cannabis seeds should be kept as collectible souvenirs by anyone in an area where cultivation of cannabis is not legal.